A jilted lover allegedly set a 15-year-old girl on fire apparently after being rejected by her at Kharinasi village in Kendrapara district of Odisha.
The victim, a Class VIII student of a nearby government school, is battling for life while the alleged perpetrator of the offence, the teenaged boy, is absconding, police said.
The boy accompanied by an accomplice allegedly set her on fire yesterday after pouring petrol over her.
The victim, who suffered over 50 per cent burns, is said to be in a critical condition, police said.
The locals, who reached there after hearing the scream, rescued and shifted the girl to the district headquarters hospital here. Later, she was shifted to SCB medical college hospital at Cuttack after her condition worsened, they said.
After committing the crime, both the accused had fled the village. A case has been registered against the duo and a manhunt launched to nab them.
